


Charatale

by DeadlyTrickster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Chara Being Chara, Chara Possessing Frisk, Chara manipulates everyone, Chara takes over Frisk's body, F/F, F/M, Frisk and Chara are Female, Frisks copes with her past, Sans Remembers Resets, Sans copes with depression, Sans needs to save Frisk, pacifist ending turned genocide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7257352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadlyTrickster/pseuds/DeadlyTrickster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk has finally obtained her and everyone's happy ending. Things are going good on the surface. At least it is for everyone but Frisk. She believes that she can still save her family. Little does she know, her "sister" has bigger plans for Frisk than living in peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Doubt

The fresh air of the surface rolled over the entire group. Though it was not that long ago that she had been in the underground, even Frisk had begun to forget what the breeze felt like. The setting sun illuminated the beautiful horizon and for a moment, they all merely stood and admired it. 

Before long they had all decided to split ways, with Papyrus leaving to meet more humans and Asgore, Alphys, and Undyne following to keep him making a mess of things. Frisk watched them go with a wide smile on her face. It was just like Papyrus to want to immediately make more friends. Though she knew that humans were not the most understanding type, she had a feeling that he would be able to bridge the difference between the two races. Besides, Undyne would be there to protect him if things got a bit sour. And even then, Asgore could probably fix the misunderstanding... Or they would all just end up calling her in a few minutes and she would fix the problem. Either way, they were all going to no doubt enjoy themselves.

Unsurprisingly, Sans walked back towards the underground. Honestly, Frisk did not know if he was just going back somewhere comfortable like Grillby's or perhaps he just happened to know of a shortcut to somewhere in the human world. That thought seemed rather likely after her many times hanging out with the intriguing skeleton. She did not saying outloud, but she quite wished he would have stayed but a moment longer with her. She shook her head to clear the thoughts away, it didn't matter. He would no doubt come visit very soon anyway. In fact the first knock on her door at home would likely be him with a great pun of some sort. 

...Home. Thats right. She didn't have anywhere to go back to up here. That was why she had climbed the mountain to begin with. She had been trying to escape the accident that left her all alone. With everything that had happened she had begun to forget. 

A soft and furry hand gently carressed her own. She looked up to her side and saw Toriel looking at her with a concerned smile. “It is ok my child. Whatever your distress may be.” She knelt down so they were at eye level and gave Frisk a nurturing pat on the head. “I will always be here with you. That is... unless you have somewhere else you need to be.” Her eyes were slightly downtrodden at the thought that Frisk wanted to go somewhere without her. That the two might be apart permanently. It reminded Frisk of when she first left the ruins. How the sight of Toriel's sad face haunted her through the journey, the lowness of her speech when they had parted. She didn not want to ever see make that expression again. 

And... She wanted to stay with her. She wanted it more than anything. So she gave her best smile and hugged Toriel tightly. “I can think of no where I'd rather be than with you... Mom.” She could feel the warm tears rolled down her cheek before she heard Toriel respond. They looked at each other with the happiest expressions anyone had ever seen before. Then taking each others hands in the other, they walked towards the town so that they could start their new life.

___________________________________________________________________________________

For a short time things were good. The humans took on quite well to the knowledge of monster existing below them, and with a little convincing from Frisk and the never tiring antics of Papyrus, they gradually accepted them into their culture. 

Frisk and Toriel were now living together, though with how much he visited Sans pretty much stayed with them as well. Toriel even had a room for him when he would stop by, every night. It was all so exciting and eventful every day. It truly seemed like everyone was happy.

So why was it that she felt that something was off? Like their was a small voice calling to her for help. Over and over, she would find herself turning around to find the source of the speaker. And every time she would be met with nothing but an empty room or the blowing wind. She didn't say anything to anyone, and even if she did what would she tell them? That there was an invisible voice talking to her but not saying any words? She would just come off as crazy. Even a ghost would just show itself by now. 

Had she forgotten to help someone back underground? Would she be able to go back and help them but still maintain this solution? She couldn't talk about that to anyone for no one knew about the extent of her determination powers. Well, no one except for Sans, and Asriel... Asriel. Could it be that he survived? What if he had not returned to his state as Flowey? If that was the case then she simply had to do something. She couldn't just leave him all alone down there. 

She wasn't sure if she should tell anyone before leaving though. Would they try and stop her from returning there? Would they listen to her? She looked up into the hallway mirror to stare into her reflection. Perhaps the right thing to do would just come to her? Maybe.... 

Something odd happened. For a split moment she thought the image changed of it's own accord. It had almost looked like her eyes were glinting red. She blinked in slight shock before rubbing at them and returning her gaze to the mirror. This time everything was normal. Maybe it was just her imagination after all? Maybe she was going crazy. 

She started to turn when something blue caught the corner of her eye. Standing at the other end of the hall was her best friend in his typical blue jacket. “Hey kid. How's it going today?” Sans asked, a tiny grin ever present on his face. She couldn't quite find the words to tell him how happy she was to see him just now, how confused she was to her nagging feeling was off. So she simply shrugged, hoping maybe he could see through her in a way that only he could. 

He didn't make any movements but instantly replied with a lame joke. “Really? Look you have a bone to pick to me?” At that he cracked a smile and pulled a bone out of his pocket. “But don't worry about it kid, I already went and picked one for you.” 

She smiled from ear to ear and ran over to hug the skeleton. “Sans how do you always manage to make me smile no matter what?” 

“That's easy kid. It's because this isn't just a bone. Its a... funny bone.” He started snickering at his joke as he was pausing for dramatic tension. 

Frisk couldn't help but burst into laughter and soon the two had to hold each other to stop from falling over. God he was just so funny. She didn't even know where he held all of these silly puns in him, but they never seemed to stop. If Papyrus were here, well.... He would probably already be leaving to tell the truth. He didn't share the same enthusiasm for puns that Sans, Frisk, and her mom did. They made a nice little group together. Maybe, maybe Sans would be able to help her after all.

“Well. Lately...” She tried desperately to find the words. Everyone was so happy. Did she really need to go back and risk that happiness? 

“Come on kiddo. You're killing me with all this dramatic pausing.” She lightly punched his shoulder for that little pun. It eased the nervousness she felt.

“Sans... Do you think everyone is happy?” She could feel her eyes droop as she asked him. There was a pause from both of them. She looked up at him, and he was scratching his head. He always did that when he was lost in thought. Frisk couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say. What words were swimming in that skull of his. 

“Gee, kiddo. Isn't a little bit early to be dishing out the philosophical questions? I really need to wrack my skull for this one. He he...” She gave him a slightly unamused look to let him know that she was being serious. “Yeah I know. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit. It does look like everyone is happy doesn't it?” She didn't answer that. She knew that he was probably right. Everyone did look happy. They certainly acted happy. Even the humans were happy. So why was it that she felt something missing? 

“What if someone is still down there? Someone that I could have helped....” She wanted to continue but he pulled her into a hug. “Frisk. You did everything that you could. And you did more than anyone ever thought possible. I mean hey, you broke the barrier without having to kill anyone. You united two races that have been at war for centuries. Kid, you did something special you know.” 

She nodded to him while trying to smile. Of course he was right. But still... “I just feel like, I've forgotten someone. Wha... What if Asriel.” He cut her off immediately. 

“He's gone Frisk. There's nothing more you can do for him. I know you want to do more, but it was before you came here. Besides, you gave him something he never thought he'd have. You gave him even a moment longer of life for him to feel love again. I'm sure even now, even as that manipulative flower, he wouldn't want to change that experience.”

She frowned. Though what he said was true, it still didn't ease the feeling she had in her heart. “Even you can't save everyone Frisk. But don't let that get you down. There's no reason to get sad over it buddy. And it isn't like you to be sad. I know you don't have a single frown bone in you, hehehe.” 

“Sans” She said playfully. He was slowly cheering her up. In any case, nothing he said was a lie. There really wasn't anything else she could do. No other way to make events be any better. “Thanks Sans. I think that helped out.”

They stopped their hug and Sans reached out his hand to her. She grabbed it and felt something sticky cover her skin. “Sans... Is this peanut butter?” 

“Yeah. You know I'll always be here to help you out in a sticky, situation.” 

“Oh my god Sans. You are too much. Now I have to go clean up before we all meet up for dinner tonight.” She thought of the year anniversary dinner they were all going to throw. A big celebration to mark the day that the barrier fell. Everyone would be there. Surely then she would know that she was just being foolish about someone being left out. “I hope you got all the puns out of your system. We wouldn't want Papyrus to throw his spaghetti at you.” 

“I wouldn't count on it. These puns are just in my bones. “ He again started laughing. Frisk chuckled and headed to the washroom. “I'll see you later tonight Sans. Thanks for coming to visit.”

“Anytime kid. See you later.” He started walking to her room. She would have protested, but more than likely if she would walk in their with him he would have just vanished anyway. He sure was mysterious with his teleporting power. She remembered how it took her by surprise the first time. But it was just one of the many things about him that made her smile now. Something about knowing he could appear at any moment put her at ease when things had gotten difficult underground. He was almost like a guardian angel of sorts. And now he used that power to appear at random times to deliver a joke and then leave. Some things just never changed. And speaking of changing, there was peanut butter on her sweater. She would need to change that too.

She walked to her room. 'Lo and behold, it was empty. Sans had already disappeared like she expected. She went to her closet to look for a different sweater to wear. It was pretty cold this time of the year so not wearing a sweater would be very silly of her. But it looked as if her mom was still doing laundry. Nothing but some summer shirts and undershirts occupied her clothes hangers. “Darn, maybe I should have let mom buy me that jacket last month. Now what am I going to wear.” Frisk contemplated her wardrobe for but a moment when a box caught her attention. She didn't remember putting it in there. Reaching into the closet, Frisk pulled out the box and opened it. Inside was, to her amazement, an old sweater that she had never seen before. It was strikingly similar to her favorite one, but the colors were different. Whereas hers was blue with a purple stripe, this one was green with a light yellowish stripe. How it got there was beyond her guess. Maybe Toriel or Asgore had put it there as a surprise for her. She would need to remember to ask later, but for now it would suffice. 

Putting on the new sweater, she made her way to the restroom to finish cleaning herself up for dinner. She silently chastised herself for not washing her hands first, as it made her favorite sweater dirtier when she took it off, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Frisk began washing her hands as she looked at herself in the mirror. She admired how the new outfit seemed to fit her rather well. It was almost like it was made for her. In fact, something about it struck her as familiar. 'Frisk'. She immediately turned on her heel as a voice called her name. “Wha? Who's there?” 

Her eyes frantically scanned the room for the source of the voice. 'Help me Frisk'. “How? How can I help you? Who are you?” This time she knew for sure that she wasn't crazy. It was more than a feeling, she could audibly here someone calling to her. But she just couldn't find who was calling to her. They seemed so close. Almost as if it was calling from inside her. 'Yes'. 

She stopped her scan of the room. Did it just respond to her. If that was the case.... She turned slowly and looked at the mirror to see if her guess was right. Upon looking at the glass, where her reflection should have stood, was another girl. She wore the same green and yellow sweater and accessories as Frisk, but her hair was a lighter color and about an inch longer than her own. She also had hazel eyes as opposed to Frisk's blue eyes. There was something strangely familiar about her, but Frisk could not quite place it.

“Who are you?”

The girls eyes dropped in sadness to her question. “That hurts Frisk. I know it's been a very long time. But you can't imagine how much it stings to me that you don't remember me.” Her voice was somber and seemed to echoe ever so slightly. 

Frisk had no idea what she was talking about. Clearly the girl was a human like her. But she didn't know very many humans before she came to Mt. Ebott. The only people she really knew was her family. But they were gone now. The fire took them away a long time ago. She tried not to think of that day. Tried not to think of the lonely days she spent trying to survive on the surface. It had been months before she decided to leave. To travel to the famed mountain. The only place that like her, humanity had forgotten. So who then? Who was this girl that claimed to know her?

“You know Frisk. I know that you do. You can feel it can't you? Deep deep down, you can feel that we are connected.” She wracked her brain for the answer that was right in front of her. It just ate away that she couldn't figure out the answer.

“I'm sorry. I don't know. I just...”

“It's ok, Frisk. You were very young back then. Too young it seems. But I remember. I remember when mom and dad brought you home one day. I remember watching you grow up.”

Frisk's mouth fell agape. It wasn't possible. This girl couldn't be. Her sister had gotten sick when she was only a baby. Her parents told her all about it. She had gone out into the woods and eaten from the buttercups. They always told her not to trust the outwardly pleasant appearance of flowers. It was funny how helpful that advice ended up.

“It can't be. Charon?” The girl nodded to her response. She didn't know how she didn't know before. They practically looked like twins. “How are you? What happened to you?”

“It's just like you were told. I died when you were little. But I'm not gone. I still exist. Do you know why?” Frisk nodded her head eagerly. “It's because of you Frisk. Your determination is so strong. You are so determined to have a family Frisk, that my soul came back. You can help me.”

“But how? What can I do?” 

She smiled softly. “You just need to go back. Back to where you started.”

“You mean... Reset the timeline? But. How would that help you? You weren't there.”

“You don't understand how strong the soul is Frisk. Souls can do near impossible things. And yours is stronger than any other that has ever gone to the mountain of dreams. You can do it. Don't worry. I will help you.”

Frisk briefly considered her options. She didn't want to reset the timeline when everyone finally reached the surface. But this was her sister. She couldn't just abandon her. Not if there was something she could do to save a member of her own family. Beside, she knew what she would need to do in order to get everyone back to this path. She supposed that nothing could really go wrong. 

“Of course Charon. I'll do whatever I can to help.”

Charon smiled widely and let out a soft giggle. “Good Frisk. Now there isn't much time. You need to go to the mountain right away. When you are there then I will talk to you again. But you need to hurry, my connection to you and the world is not very strong. There is no telling how long I will be able to communicate with you.”

With that, she disappeared from the mirror and Frisk was left staring at her own reflection. She could barely process what had just occurred. Her older sister was alive, well as alive as she could be. But she had the power to fix it. She could have her family back. She would be so happy with Toriel and Frisk. But man she needed to leave. Without stopping to say goodbye to Toriel, Frisk ran out of the house and beelined for the mountain. 

On the way, her phone began buzzing. She continued running without answering it. They might not understand. But she was doing it for everyone. Besides what if stopping to take the time to answer this call took up too much time. Instead she decided to send a fast text to her caller. She quickly looked to find out it was Sans. Of course it was. He was probably trying to tell her a new joke that he thought of. As much as it was probably great, she knew that if anyone would understand then it would be him. He always knew when time reset and how much she was doing to help everyone. 

Sorry Sans, I can't talk right now. I won't be able to make the dinner either. No time to go into it all but I'll be sure to explain the next time we meet. I can't wait to grab that whoopee cushion again. Until then, see you later.

She sent the message then kept running. The mountain might not have been far, but the climb was no easy feat. She pressed on and began the familiar climb. Numerous times her phone would ring. No doubt it was Sans worrying about her. She would see him soon though. He'd be the only person that she could talk to openly about any of this. Soon they would be back in the snowy fields laughing and solving Papyrus' puzzles again. 

Within an hour of climbing, she found herself in the familiar clearing that rested before the long drop to the underground. She couldn't think of anywhere else that she would need to be then right here. Now she just needed to wait for Charon to talk to her again. 

She waited. 10 minutes passed by and she continued to wait. The wind howled in the night and still she waited. Had she been gone too long? Was she too late? 

Just when she thought that she had failed, a soft crunching sound broke the silence. Someone was coming towards her. She turned around hopefully, wishing to see her sister one more time. 

“Hey kid.” The familiar skeleton stood behind her with his smile ever present. “You know, everyone is waiting for you at Undyne's. I'm sure the food is getting cold. Who knows, another 20 minutes or so and Papyrus might be ready to eat it.” They both laughed for a moment. “So you from around here?” He shot back immediately. She gave him a smug look. 

“As if you really want an answer to that. What are you doing out here Sans?”

“I could ask you the same thing Frisk. We are all supposed to celebrating today. And here you are by the entrance to the underground. Sending me a message that you are going back. Why do you want to change things? Aren't they good enough as they are?” 

His eyesockets lowered and his smiled dropped ever so slightly. He was clearly upset that she was not happy.

“Oh Sans. It's not that things aren't good. In fact they are great....”

“But?”

“It's like I was telling you earlier. But I know who it is that I can still help.” She stopped and looked around again hopefully. 

“Who is it? Are they here somewhere?”

“It's my sister Sans.”

“Your... You have a sister?”

She nodded and let it sink in for him. He would no doubt understand. After all, the way he doted on and looked after Papyrus was a clear sign that family was important to the skeleton. 

“She was lost to me when I was very young. But lately I've been able to hear her talking to me. And she told me that with my determination, I have a chance to save her. Don't you understand Sans? I can't leave her without knowing that I did everything in my power to help.”

He was about to say something in response when another voice broke through the silence. 

“That's right. Only Frisk can help me.”

They both turned and saw a figure walk through the trees towards them. She was wearing the same outfit as Frisk with an addition of a heart pendant that Frisk was sure that she had seen somewhere before. 

“You? You are... “ Sans began before Frisk ran over to Charon and enveloped her in a hug. 

“This is my sister Sans. This is Charon. I just need to reset and find a way to bring her back. Then we can all return to the surface together and live together. Don't you want that?”

She turned to Sans who was at a loss for words. It looked as if he were trying to remember something. He said nothing, too lost in his own mind to think of the words to tell her. She just smiled at him. Reassuring her friend that she was doing what she thought was best. 

“Frisk. Before you reset there is one thing I need you to do.” 

Charon looked at her with a pleading expression. Frisk didn't even wait for her to reply before she hugged her tighter. Relishing in the feeling of embracing a family member after so long. “Anything sis. Whatever it is, I'll do anything, give you anything you need. That's what family is for right?” She smiled and felt some tears running down her cheeks. She had never truly felt happier than at this moment. Everything was about to be ok, perfect in fact. 

Then several things happened at once. Charon tightened the hold that they were currently wrapped in. Frisk heard a cruel laugh escape from her mouth. Sans had suddenly called out. “No Frisk! That's....” She couldn't hear the rest. Everything had gone quiet. She couldn't explain why, but her stomach felt wrong. It was like a sharp pinching sensation was washing through her. Her skin was becoming warm, hot almost. It was becoming very hard for her to keep standing. 

Her grip on Charon gave away and her knees buckled beneath her. The ground was not hard like she imagined it might have been. Instead, it was oddly wet. Had it rained earlier? This feeling was very familiar. It reminded her of the several times that she had fought against Undyne. But if that was the case. Then that means, she was dying. How had that happened? Everything was going black. 'I'm sorry Sans. Sorry Charon. I guess I wasn't strong enough for you guys. Next time. I'll do better....' She looked up awaiting the world to change. The last thing she saw was Sans leaning over her body and crying. Behind him was her sister. It looked like she was laughing. She wondered what was so funny. But she supposed that she find out soon enough. Once... She.... Woke...Up...


	2. Two Interventions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans' perspective of events from the first chapter and some insight into his feelings.

Bright light surrounded them. That was the first thing that he noted when the barrier broke. 'Man the sun really is a lot brighter than all the artificial light we have in the underground. Guess you could say this is a very enlightening experience.' He chuckled to himself. He would need to remember to tell that one to Frisk later. She'd get a real kick out of that. Speaking of the kid. 

He looked over to his side and saw her standing on the side of the mountain. She was staring off into the distance with Toriel beside her. He didn't know what was on her mind but she was smiling ever so slightly. The skeleton recognized that she was much happier than she was letting on. Why she was hiding it was beyond him, but it was a nice feeling that he could see through her little facade. Maybe it's because they had spent more time together than most of the others. That was bound to happen when they were the only two to keep their memories every time the timeline would reset. 

He must have spent more than a moment lost in thought because before he realized most of the group was suddenly leaving. From what he had managed to hear, Papyrus wanted to go out and meet new humans as the official ambassador for the monsters. Well, he sure had a lot of spirit. Most likely he would just end up making a scene rather than do something overly useful. Maybe he should go with his brother to keep him from making a mess? Just then Undyne ran after him to “keep him safe”. That was almost as alarming as Pap going alone. 'Jeez. What's a guy to do in a situation like this? Who knows how the humans will take to suddenly seeing monsters again after so long. Let alone Papyrus and Undyne of all the monsters. The shock will probably jump 'em out of the skin. Heh, then we'd have more skeletons at least. He he he.' Within another moment both Alphys and Asgore left to follow the others. 

It was suddenly becoming a huge crowd going to the humans. They would probably have way more than enough monster representatives for one day. He supposed that he would just go get a drink from grillby's and let some of the others underground know that the barrier was down. Or maybe he would just go and explore the surface a bit. 'Nah. Grillby's sounds pretty damn good right now.' 

He gave Frisk a wink of reassurance before heading back into the tunnel and walking into the darkness. Before using his magic to teleport away however, he took a moment longer to steal a glance at Frisk. The sun was illuminating her in such a way that she radiated with beauty. He could almost not stand to look at her for too long. It was a strange feeling that he could not quiet identify. And beside that, she gave a small almost unnoticeable look as he walked away. It looked somewhat like sadness, or longing? It was hard to tell. But the only thing he could think was that she was distressed that he was leaving. Or maybe that was what he hoped. Where were these thoughts coming from? He really needed time to sort this out. With that thought, he whisked away to Grillby's.

Standing in the familiar restaurant, the skeleton took his usual seat at the bar. Around him many of the regulars were already buzzing with excitement over the news of the barrier. Jeez news spreads fast in the underground. He briefly wondered who was responsible for that. Perhaps the ferryman? Or maybe Alphys was just posting on Undernet. That was rather possible. 

“The usual Sans?” The rough voice of Grillby broke the skeleton from his thoughts. 

“Oh. Of course Grillbz. You know me. Always looking to ketchup with my buddy.” He winked at his friend as he eagerly waited for the bottle of ketchup to slide over to him. Quickly he took a long swig of the tomatoey juice. Yeah, there's nothing better than a good bottle of ketchup to easy the old bones. 

“So I bet you saw the surface with Alphys and the kid didn't you Sans?”   
“Yeah, it's quite the sight Grillbz. I'm sure that you will be opening a shop there in no time won't ya?”

“Like you even need to ask? It's only been my dream for years Sans. Speaking of which.” The flaming bartender looked inquisitively at his friend. “Why are you not enjoying the surface with the others?”

The skeleton felt his face drop. He did not really want to talk about, whatever it was that he was feeling. 

“In fact, I'm surprised that you aren't just spending time up there to hang out with Frisk.” Sans nearly dropped his bottle of ketchup at the bartender's comment. 

“W...What do you mean Grillbz?” 

Grillby sighed and put down the glass that he was cleaning. “Well Sans you have been coming here for several years now. And while you may try to hide it from the others, I can tell that you are normally rather unhappy. Don't try to deny it either, I am very good at reading people. Besides that we are good friends Sans. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't recognize when another was feeling blue.”

He replaced the skeleton's near empty bottle with a fresh new one then took a seat beside his friend. As there were no other customers in the bar it didn't seem to matter. “Yet when you would visit here with Frisk I saw something in you that I haven't seen in a long time. You smiled Sans. And it wasn't your smile that you wear everyday to tell people you are fine. No, this was a full smile brimming with joy. I certainly don't know what you two have between you, but as a friend I can say that it warmed my heart to see you so happy for once.” 

The bartender's words sat in Sans' head. He hadn't quite read the skeleton's mind but damn if he hadn't been close. Not too mention he'd been paying so close attention to him for such a long time. Grillbz sure was something. “I guess you caught me red handed Grillbz”. He turned over one of his hands with a small amount of ketchup on it for dramatic effect. His buddy chuckled ever so softly at the pun without breaking his serious composure. “Guess I just don't know what I want to say to the kid. And more importantly, she and Tori have a lot to catch up on. As for the others, well they all have something they want to do in the human world and far be it from me to get in their way. “

“The queen is back?” Grillby asked with more than a hint of surprise in his voice. Sans' had almost completely forgotten that he was the only one that had ever been in communication with her since she left the main underground. Back then even he didn't know who it was that he was talking to, but he had a pretty good guess all the same. 

“Yep, turns out before Frisk came around to Snowdin she spent a lot of time with Tori and they became very close. Family close as it seems. Now those two are out looking for somewhere to live out on the surface. I just... don't want to get in between them right now you know?”

Grillby nodded his head and put a hand on Sans' back. Despite being made of fire, he was not hot to the touch. Magic could do some pretty spectacular things. “You don't need to feel like you are being left out Sans. Just because everyone has something they are currently doing doesn't mean that they don't want your company.”

Sans scratched his head trying to think of the words to respond with. “Jee Grillbz. Are you a therapist too now? Man am I even wearing my jacket right now?” When the bartender gave him a curious look he immediately responded “Because you just saw right through me”. This time Grillby only sighed. Guess that one was a bit of a stretch. Oh well it was funny any way.

“Maybe you are right Grillbz. I suppose I will head up there after I finish this bottle. You need to let me know when you do open a new place up on the surface though. Can't go everyday without seeing my good pal can I?” 

Grillby gave him a reassuring thumbs up and then the two began to gossip idly until Sans teleported to the surface. He had someone he wanted to see.

___________________________________________________________________________________

About a year went by and things were just going great. Sans and Pap found a rather large house to live in that Sans of course paid for. Teleporting at will made finding a job rather easy and he still had a lot of money saved up from his time working with the previous royal scientist. But that was a story for another day. 

The short skeleton spent most of his days hanging out and Tori's and Frisk's house. The two talked for hours, sharing puns, and occasionally going out to places like Grillby's new bar. Damn that place had become quite the hot spot on the surface. Both humans and monster would come there to unwind and grow closer to one another. Sans was very proud of his friend for being able to not only make his dream come true, but to make it such a huge success. 

Sans recalled that today was the year celebration of them reaching the surface. They were going to meet at Undyne's and have a big dinner. Of course neither her nor Papyrus had improved much in the cooking department, but hey food was food. And it always tasted better when your friends cooked it. Or at least he told himself that so that stomaching it would be easier. 

On the topic of celebrating though, something has been off about Frisk the last week or two. When she thinks that no one is looking her usual grin would disappear and a look of downright sadness would overcome her. It didn't seem like anyone else had noticed yet seeing as any of their worrisome friends would have jumped at the chance to help her out. He wanted to help her out with whatever it was that was troubling her. Afterall her just being around got him out of the rut that he was in for years in the underground. That and the thought of Frisk being sad, well it just didn't sit well with him. That being said he decided to drop in before the big meet-up and have a nice chat with her.

Without a second wasted Sans used his magic to teleport into the familiar house and saw that he was inside Frisk's bedroom. 'Oops. I meant to appear in the hallway. Good thing she isn't in here right now or that would have been awkward. 

He took a brief moment to admire the cleanliness of the room. It was something that he never saw in his own room. Keeping it clean did look nice, but the effort required for that never appealed to him. Besides, it was much easier to find things in the mess that was his floor. Organized chaos is still organized in the end. 

Now he didn't want to snoop or pry into the lady's room. That was far from gentlemanly and rather creepy if he did say so himself. So instead he quietly opened the door and walked into the hallway. 

Outside he quickly saw Frisk at the other end of the hall. 'Oh damn, if she sees I was in her room she might lose her head. He he.' As quiet as he could, he shut the door and began leaning against it as if he just appeared and was waiting for her. She had yet to notice his presence, instead she was preoccupied with her reflection in the hall mirror. 'Can't blame her for being transfixed. If I looked nearly as good as her... Whoa what am I thinking?' That was Frisk he was thinking about just now. His friend of several years if you included all the time they had to reset things to make it better. Where had that thought even come from? She and he were just friends. That's it, nothing more. 

Suddenly she turned and looked at him. For a moment he did not know what to say, lost in his own thoughts. 'Better say something, anything before you blurt out something stupid' 

“Hey kid. How's it going today?” He asked trying to sound as casual as possible. Without speaking she just shrugged, whatever expression she had been making before was lost in a faint smile. She always started smiling when he was around. It wasn't fake either but genuine and beautiful. He wished that he could see her smile that way all the time. He knew just what to say next to get her to laugh and smile some more. 

“Really? Look you have a bone to pick to me.” He smiled as wide as he could and pulled a spare bone out of his pocket. Carrying those around always made his jokes just that much better. “But don't worry about it kid, I already went and picked one for you.” She had the biggest smile he had seen from her in a while. And it was times like this that he justified his amazing humor. 

“Sans how do you always manage to make me smile no matter what?”

“That's easy kid. It's because this isn't just a bone. It's a.... funny bone.” Man that one was really funny. He couldn't stop himself from snickering at his own joke. And luckily neither could she. She was just laughing away like her lungs could go on forever. What a pretty sound her laugh was. Makes a guy want to keep telling jokes for hours. But alas, not all good things last forever. Soon the Frisk let down her happy demeanor and looked serious. Was she going to open up? He wanted to be all ears for her, or at least earbones if they existed.

“Well. Lately...” She paused. He had no idea what she was thinking or might say. But it seemed that she was having trouble finding the way to bring it up. He truly wanted to help her out with the problem and was going to have to try and help her find her words.

“Come on kiddo. You're killing me with all this dramatic pausing.” He received a light punch to the arm. Yep, nothing like a pun to warm the kid out of her cold feet. 

“Sans... Do you think everyone is happy?” Man, that was a deep question. He looked at her eyes drop like a rock after she asked. Clearly this was a serious thing to her. She always had put everyone's concerns over her own. After all she had been killed numerous times underground by several of her closer friends. But out of her sheer determination to make things better for them, she carried on and was beaten over and over until they were happy. But, who was it that she thought wasn't happy? Had she seen through his own attempts to look cheerful? Yeah it was true that things were better now up here and hanging with her, but depression wasn't an easy thing to just be rid of. Or... could it be something else entirely that he didn't know about. 'Oh damn I need to say something. Frisk is staring right at me hoping for a response.'

“Gee, kiddo. Isn't it a little bit early to be dishing out the philosophical questions? I really need to wrack my skull for this one. He he...” She was not amused by that joke. If Frisk wasn't laughing at a pun then it could only mean that she was extremely serious about this matter. He needed to start taking the conversation a little more seriously, even if it meant not being entirely comfortable. “Yeah I know. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit. It does look like everyone is happy doesn't it?” He wasn't exactly lying. Besides himself, and her from the last two weeks, everyone else not only seemed happy, but more excited and alive than they had been in years. He didn't know if there was anyone else...

“What if someone is still down there? Someone that I could have helped...” 

He pulled her into a hug just then. There was no real reason why, but she just looked so distraught over this that he could think of no better way to reassure her than to hold her protectively. 

“Frisk. You did everything that you could. And you did more than anyone ever thought possible. I mean hey, you broke the barrier without having to kill anyone. You united two races that have been at war for centuries. Kid, you did something special you know.” He meant every word. She really was special and accomplished something no one else had long believed possible.

“I just feel like, I've forgotten someone. Wha... What if Asriel.”

Oh.... That's where she was going with this. Asriel. He guessed that topic couldn't be held off forever. Only those two remembered that he was the true form of Flowey. The reset magic had erased that from the other's memories. To them, he was just a psychotic flower that was better left behind. Sans needed to get her away from that line of thinking. Even with her power and determination, nothing any of them could do would help return Asriel to his real form.

“He's gone Frisk. There's nothing more you can do for him. I know you want to do more, but it was before you came here. Besides, you gave him something he never thought he'd have. You gave him even a moment longer of life for him to feel love again. I'm sure even now, even as that manipulative flower, he wouldn't want to change that experience.” How he hoped that those words would make her feel more at ease. 

She frowned instead. Damn, maybe he didn't have it in him to make emotional speeches. But damn if he wouldn't try. “Even you can't save everyone Frisk. But don't let that get you down. There's no reason to get sad over it buddy. And it isn't like you to be sad. I know you don't have a single frown bone in you, hehehe.” When all else fails, humor should be tried again right?

“Sans.” This time she did not sound upset. In fact she sounded almost playful. “Thanks Sans. I think that help out.”

He broke her hug and quickly put one hand into his pocket and smeared peanut butter on it. Time for the knockout joke to set her mood better for the rest of the day. He extended his hand for a hand shake and sure enough she grabbed it. The look on her face was priceless. A little between shock and utter confusion. 

“Sans... Is this peanut butter?”

“Yeah. You know I'll always be here to help you out in a sticky situation.” He was sometimes surprised by his own wit. Man it was good to be this humerus. 

“Oh my god Sans. You are too much. Now I have to go clean up before we all meet up for dinner tonight. I hope you got all the puns out of your system. We wouldn't want Papyrus to throw his spaghetti at you.”

“I wouldn't count on it. These puns are just in my bones.” He laughed again, man he was on a roll today. And to top it off, she was smiling genuinely again. Perhaps this visit managed to solve her problem after all. 

She chuckled and headed for the washroom. “I'll see you later tonight Sans. Thanks for coming to visit.”

“Anytime kid. See you later.” With that he decided it was best to leave so she could get changed. He went to her room and walked through the door. He knew she wouldn't protest because he wouldn't stay there. For no particular reason he just didn't like teleporting right in front of others unless taking them with him. Besides, it made for some nice dramatic moments. 

Just like that, he was back home. Papyrus was already gone off to prepare the food at Undyne's. He looked at the clock. Man it was getting late. They were supposed to all meet within an hour. Maybe that peanut butter joke was ill timed. But it made her laugh and that was worth being a bit late he thought. 

Well better get going he supposed. Teleporting everywhere might have been nice and all. But walking was nice too, at least it would let him have some alone time to think about things. 

He walked out the door and started to head to Undyne's. On his way he noticed something strange though. Toriel had found a pretty nice house that was on a hill relatively close to the others. It wasn't exactly on the path to Undyne's, but you could see it from the road that took Sans to her place. What was strange was that Frisk suddenly ran out of her house in the opposite direction of Undyne's. 'Where is she going?'

He quickly pulled out his phone and tried to call her. It rang several times but there was no answer. She wouldn't have ignored it. So that meant she either forgot it, or was in such a hurry that she didn't notice. Either way was strange. Also, the direction she was heading was... Mt. Ebott? Why would she be... Oh damn. She is still worried about Asriel. He couldn't let her go off to see Flowey alone. He could kill her. And what if her power no longer worked since they left the underground. No... No he wouldn't let anything happen to her even if she could come back. She didn't deserve that pain. 

Before he could start moving he received a text. Quickly he read it and his eyes darkened. “Sorry Sans, I can't talk right now. I won't be able to make the dinner either. No time to go into it all but I'll be sure to explain the next time we meet. I can't wait to grab that whoopee cushion again. Until then, see you later.”

Shit. She was planning to reset and try and save the flower. He had to catch up to her and try to talk some sense into her. Things might not go well the next time through and what if... What if anything happened to her? No time to waste he needed to hurry. 

Immediately he teleported up the mountain. But to his dismay she was no longer near where he had seen her. Damn. He couldn't just appear everywhere. He needed to go to places he knew or could see. Guess he needed to follow on foot. The entrance to the mountain was supposed to be straight up this path. Time for some exercise it seemed. 

He ran for almost an hour before beginning to run out of breath. Jeez. It was much harder traveling like this for so long than by using magic. Sans was almost going to give up hope of finding her when to his luck, he caught sight of green clothe in the distance. It looked like she had changed clothes. Guess that was his fault. 

Taking no attempts to hide his presence, the skeleton walked up to his friend. 

She turned to him with so much joy in her eyes and within a second it disappeared. Whoa, was she that unhappy to see me now? What happened in the last hour?

“Hey kid.” He really needed to lighten this crazy awkward atmosphere. You know, everyone is waiting for you at Undyne's. I'm sure the food is getting cold. Who knows, another 20 minutes or so and Papyrus might be ready to eat it.” They both laughed for a moment. “So you from around here?” He shot back immediately. She gave him a smug look.

“As if you really want an answer to that. What are you doing out here Sans?”

'Besides looking for you and stopping you from doing potentially dangerous things? Not much I guess.'

“I could ask you the same thing Frisk. We are all supposed to celebrating today. And here you are by the entrance to the underground. Sending me a message that you are going back. Why do you want to change things? Aren't they good enough as they are?” He didn't realize just how sad his words were until they came out of his mouth. He wasn't so worried about how the others would react. They wouldn't even remember. And surely they could get back to this spot. But, what if the toll it took on her was too great. What if she was just never happy with the outcome?

“Oh Sans. It's not that things aren't good. In fact they are great...”

“But?”

“It's like I was telling you earlier. But I know who it is that I can still help.” She stopped and looked around again hopefully.

“Who is it? Are they here somewhere?” He really hoped it wasn't that flower. But if not him then who?

“It's my sister Sans.”

...That caught him off guard. “Your... You have a sister?”

He never knew she had any siblings. Obviously she would have had parents. But since she never talked about finding them since leaving the underground he could only guess that something had happened to them and didn't think it was his place to pry. If she had wanted to talk about family, he would wait until she was ready to talk. Nothing was worse than forcing someone to talk or think about something that was clearly upsetting to them.

“She was lost to me when I was very young. But lately I've been able to hear her talking to me. And she told me that with my determination, I have a chance to save her. Don't you understand Sans? I can't leave her without knowing that I did everything in my power to help.”

That seemed reasonable at first. After all he could relate to wanting to help out family. He would do almost anything to help out Papyrus. Hell that was how the two even became friends. But something wasn't right. If she lost her sister before falling to the underground, then how could resetting help her? He was about to ask before another voice broke the silence. 

“That's right. Only Frisk can help me.”

He turned and saw someone walking toward him from the trees. It was a girl a few years younger than Frisk and wearing the same green and yellow striped sweater. But she also wore a heart pendant that looked earily familiar to Sans. She looked almost exactly like Frisk, but had much lighter hair and was about 6 inches shorter. Still, despite that. He almost felt as if he had seen her before somewhere long ago. 

“You? You are...” He didn't get to finish as Frisk ran over and hugged the mysterious girl.

“This is my sister Sans. This is Charon. I just need to reset and find a way to bring her back. Then we can all return to the surface together and live together. Don't you want that?”

Something was wrong here. That didn't make any sense. Frisk even with her power shouldn't be able to bring someone back that died before her resets. And besides that. How was her ghost suddenly appearing after all this time? It was all so wrong. That and this “Charon's” appearance. He couldn't stop the feeling that he had seen this girl before. 

“Frisk.” The girl said, her voice a bit lower than before. “Before you reset there is one thing I need you to do.”

“Anything sis. Whatever it is, I'll do anything, give you you need. That's what family is for right?”

He snapped himself out of his daze and saw the two embracing. Then the girl grew a wicked smile to replace her previous benevolent one. That was when he remembered seeing her before. He didn't know why it didn't hit him earlier. That sweater. It was the exact same one that Asriel wore as a child. The one that his mother made to match his best friend. He'd only seen them together a few times before the accident. But it was so clear now. That was not Frisk's sister. It was Asriel's. This wasn't good. 

“No Frisk!” He screamed and started to run towards her. “That's not your sister! That's...” He was too late. Bright red blood began staining the ground. The girl had pulled a knife from seemingly nowhere and stabbed Frisk through the stomach. Frisk said nothing, but fell to her knees. She was in shock it seemed. The light was quickly fading from her eyes. Sans quickly grabbed her and tried to put pressure on the wound. 'Shit it's no use. There's too much blood. My magic won't be useful either.' 

“Damnit Frisk don't do this to me. Don't die!”

“Hehehe. It's too late for her. Guess you started to remember me? Not fast enough though you smiley trashbag.”

He looked up at her through the tears now flooding his eye socket. She had a bloodied hand over what looked to be Frisk's soul. 

“Why!? Why did you do this?”

“I told you didn't I? Only Frisk could save me. But I don't need her. Just her soul. Poor girl was so desperate to help her sister 'Charon'. But you already guessed it. That's not my name.”

Her voice was becoming lower and more vicious as she spoke. Suddenly everything began to fade. Darkness was pouring over everything. The world was about to reset. Damn! At the least Frisk would be ok. But still, this girl. No, this monster still had her soul. He needed to get it back. He tried to fire a bone at her but the magic wouldn't work. Not while a reset was occurring. Shit.

“That's right trashbag. You can't do anything to me. Chara Dreemur.” She began laughing at him maniacally. That was the last sound he heard as the world faded away. The last thing he felt was the warm and bloodied body of his best friend lying dead in his arms. 'I'm sorry Frisk. I failed you. I wasn't strong enough for you. I'll do better next time. I'll keep you safe next time.' 

And just like that. Everything was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer to write then I thought. I got caught up in preparing for AMW last weekend and put everything else on the backburner. I didn't really think this would be as long a chapter as it was. But I also didn't want to not include the conversation between Frisk and Sans. Because even though the words were the same, Sans' motivation and thoughts behind them make the exchange have more meaning to it. 
> 
> The title refers to Grillby trying to help Sans as well as his later attempt to help out Frisk. 
> 
> The next chapter will pick up right away after the reset and Frisk will be in for a big surprise this time around. She obviously did not hear the words between Sans and Chara at the end of this chapter as she was a bit busy dying. If you haven't guessed by now this story will have a lot of sad undertone to it. Such as Sans' depression, Frisk being manipulated and killed numerous times. There's too much to say for now. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. If there are any suggestions, comments, and inclusions you might like to see let me know in the comment section. Until next time, have a good one.


	3. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk wakes up back the start of her adventure. But not all is as it should be.

Darkness surrounded the girl as her senses slowly returned to her. Even her memory was clouded in darkness. What had happened to her? She tried to rack her brain for answer but none came. She tried to open her eyes. At least that seemed to work. 

The dark only faded a small amount. Instead of the pitch black that she had awoken to, an eerily familiar sight lay before her. Dim light illuminated a well kept flower bed that surrounded her. Stone walls covered the expanse of room that she slowly recognized. This was where she first fell to the underground. But why was she here? Had she been out walking and accidentally fallen? It didn’t seem too likely but other than that the only other explanation was… A reset? Why would she have chosen to do that?

Her body began to stand as if on its own. Still lost in her thoughts, Frisk paid no attention to the strange sensation that was walking after falling several stories onto nothing but flowers and rock. Normally she was very sore for at least an hour after her resets, both due to reliving the fall’s damage as well as retaining some feeling of whatever caused her to die and reset in the first place. But this time, she felt nothing. Not the small breeze on her skin nor the feeling of the rocks under her boots. It was odd, but she was too preoccupied trying to figure out why she was here.

In no time at all, she found herself in the next hallway where a familiar face appeared to greet her. Amidst the dark hall was a small gold leafed flower staring at her with a mix of confusion and slight amusement on his face. 

She walked forward and stopped before him with her head cocked ever so slightly. 

“Howdy. I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower. Not that you don’t remember me. What is this? The 15th time you have been here. Jeez don’t you ever tire of living this life so many times? Even when you had everything fine and dandy with everyone on the surface. I can’t even believe you would reset everyone’s happiness like that. You really are an idiot aren’t you?”

What did he mean 15? She only reset 13 times. Getting to the surface was on her 14th attempt and everything had gone so well. Was he messing with her or… Wait. Something was coming back to her. She remembered preparing for the year anniversary of leaving the underground. Then she went for a walk and met Sans. Then… Ugh why couldn’t she remember. 

‘Asriel listen to me. I don’t know what is going on.’ Nothing happened. Her words never left her mouth. That sure was strange. She knew had spoken out loud, yet the Flower continued to stare at her as if she were silent. ‘Asriel?’ Again no words left her lips. In fact, she noticed that they didn’t move at all. 

Suddenly something even more bizarre happened. A feeling of unrelenting rage washed over her. Where before confusion and a small amount of pity over seeing the prince turned homicidal flower only hatred and anger filled her upon his sight. She felt her hand clench and turn into a tightly balled fist. 

“Asriel? Is it really you?” Her voice was quiet. The rage behind the sound was masked by genuine curiosity. 

“Frisk? What is wrong with you?” Flowey asked slightly backing away from her. He had a look of concern as the girls feet slowly brought her closer to the animated flower.   
“I thought you were dead…”

“You… You don’t remember? Frisk I told you I was going to...” Before he continued a ball of fire landed in front of him. The suddenness of the attack must have frightened him, for the look on his face was a fear that in several lifetimes Frisk had never seen before. Strange, he had known that Toriel would attack him ever since their first encounter with one another. 

“Ah do not be afraid my child.” The familiar voice of mom rang through the cave entrance. If she were here. Then this really meant that time had reset. Either way, she was so glad that mother was here. She always made every situation better. 

“My name is Toriel. I am the caretaker of these ruins. I cannot believe that flower, picking on such an innocent youth like...” 

“Mother?” The girls voice was so soft. Almost a whisper. It was covered in what seemed to be pain and sadness.

“Mo… Mother? Oh my child. I suppose if you wish to call me your mother then I will not protest.” Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly at the mention. Toriel had always wanted to be a parent. Every time she would call the goat her mother, it brought the largest smile to her face. 

Toriel held out a fur covered hand to her and immediately her heart began to warm. “Come with me child. The ruins are no place for a child to roam. It can get quite dangerous.”

Frisk nodded and reached out to take Toriel’s hand. Strangely again she did not quite feel what was happening to her body. She saw her hand make contact with her mother’s. Yet there was no warmth to the touch, no soft feeling of fur. It was as if she were devoid of feeling. What was happening to her?

Together the two began to traverse the ruins. Toriel was her usual protective self. She wouldn’t even leave you alone during her “test” of your courage. Everything was proceeding as normal. That is… Until she leaves you alone. 

As always Toriel gives you a cell phone as she leaves to prepare you a dinner surprise. Without a doubt it will be cinnamon butterscotch pie. Frisk was going to call Toriel up and tell her some jokes. Those were always great with mom. But for some reasons she could not make herself dial the familiar number.

Instead she just found herself staring at the device. It didn’t have text messaging so without receiving or sending a call, it was just a silent phone. Why couldn’t she call Toriel? Everything in her wanted to call her mom. But, her arms wouldn’t listen. ‘What’s going on here? Why can’t I control my body?’ 

“Isn’t that obvious by now?” The words came out of her mouth, but she wasn’t the speaker. 

‘What?’

“It isn’t your body anymore Frisk.”

‘I don’t understand.’ This sensation. It really did fell as if she wasn’t in her body. More like she was a spectator. Like it was a strange dream. Maybe that was it. This was all just a dream.

“Think that if you want. But it won’t change this from being the truth. You don’t remember what happened on the surface do you?

‘Remember?’ She tried her best but only a vague recollection of meeting Sans in the woods came to mind. Someone else was there but… She couldn’t find the came in her memory. 

“I’m sure it will come back to you, not that it matters.” She heard the intruder laugh with her body. In her hand she gripped the stick they had tightly. 

“What a pathetic excuse for a weapon. Oh well it will have to do.”

‘Why would you need a weapon? No one in the ruins is very hostile. They are just confused and frightened by a human being here. It’s nothing that we couldn’t talk our way out of.’

The intruder scoffed. “Whatever. You are so lame Frisk. You think you can just solve all your problems by talking.”

Before Frisk could respond, they heard a croaking sound. Behind them, a froggit had appeared. It idly sat and stared at them. 

‘Awww. Froggits are so cute. Just tell them how adorable they are, and they will have the cutest grin. I almost forgot how cute they...’

As she was speaking to her body’s host, the other girl began violently hitting the froggit with their stick.

‘No! What are you doing?’

Before long, the little frog tried to hop away. But it’s leg was hurt and it failed to jump. Instead it looked up the two in fear. A tiny croak escaped it’s lips as the stick came down on it’s head. Instantly it’s body faded away and only dust remained. It flowed over their body like a sick mist. 

‘Why did you do that!? It wasn’t dangerous. It was just scared and wanted to know more about you.’ You were wracked with so much distress over the perishing of the frog. How could anyone harm something so innocent without even batting an eye. What kind of monster… No monster’s were better than that. She didn’t know what was occupying her body right now. But it would be a disgrace to all her friends and family to call it a monster. 

“You really are a nuisance. Just shut up and enjoy the show.”

Frisk was appalled by how this person spoke. Why were they so cruel? Why were they hurting monsters? How did they even come to have her body? There were so many questions that she wanted answer to.

The next hour was agonizing, as her body’s new host roamed the ruins and viciously beat down every monster in their path. Many froggits lost their lives as did the emotional distressed whimsuns. They even cruelly ate the vegetoids. Eventually they found an overlook to what Frisk recognized as her mother’s home. She always found it funny that Asgore had named it Home. He really was the worst when it came to naming things. But that was only a part of his charm. Though now, instead of reminiscing as she would have loved doing, she found that her hand picked up a small toy knife laying on the ground. 

“This is still here?” The voice sounded genuinely confused. Frisk remembered seeing it in a previous timeline but never needed to grab it. What use was a weapon if you only needed to talk everyone out of their fear? 

‘You know how that got there?’ She asked, trying to learn more of her body’s occupier. 

“Hmph.” They scoffed again and proceeded to ignore Frisk. 

She found herself helpless to defend all of her once friends as the imposter began to cut down everyone in the ruins. She even tried to harm sweet innocent Napstablook. Luckily physical attacks could not harm a ghost. Though the damage to his already fragile emotions was sure to be enough to make him never want to see her again. She wanted to cry, she wanted to call out to someone for help. But it was useless. Only the cruel person holding her body ransom could hear her.

Frisk desperately tried to find something to occupy her mind, anything to avoid seeing the death of innocent monsters. So she did her best to recall what happened last timeline. They had escaped the underground. Everyone had been happy. Or were they? She remembered being conflicted. Sans had tried to reassure her. What had gone wrong? 

As they approached the entrance to Home, something came back to her. Someone she never expected to hear from had talked to her. That’s right! ‘Charon? Is that you controlling my body?’

“…. So you remember a little.” 

‘Why Charon? You’re my sister. You aren’t a bad person. So why are you doing these things? Why are you hurting monsters?’

“Shut up Frisk. You don’t understand anything. Everything is so perfect for you. You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. So why should I bother with you?”

Every word that her sister spoke cut her like the knife she used to kill the others with. She didn’t understand anything that was happening. And there was nothing she could do anyway. She was completely helpless and alone.

The door to home opened and the smell of homemade pie filled the air. Toriel had been hard at work making dinner for her blissfully unaware that she was being used to kill. What would she say? Wait… Charon wouldn’t hurt Toriel would she? Even she couldn’t be so heartless

“My child you are home.” Her warm voice came from the living room. “I was just about to finish making supper for us. I hope you do not mind buterscotch cinnamon pie. 

Charon merely nodded. She followed Toriel to the dining room where they ate the delicious food. 

Throughout the meal Toriel would chime in with some random trivia about snails or tell a silly pun like Sans. At no point did Charon ever speak though. She was eerily silent. It almost felt as if she were lost in thought. 

After they finished eating Charon went to their bedroom and briefly slept. After she awoke they explored the house. It was strange. Charon seemed to know where everything was already. Had her spirit been present during her earlier attempts at freeing the underground? 

Toriel was no longer in the house. Instead she had gone to the door to the rest of the underground in an attempt to destroy it and protect her. She silently hoped that she would go ahead and destroy it. That way Charon could not reach the rest of the underground. 

Before she made her way to the basement tunnel, Charon went to the kitchen. She looked in vain trying to find something. “Of course, she still doesn’t keep the knives in the kitchen. Typical mom.”

‘Why are you calling her mom? You shouldn’t have met her before.’

“I already told you that you don’t understand anything Frisk. You still think I’m your sister. How stupid can you get?”

Internally Frisk sighed. Strangely she was filled with relief upon hearing that. It didn’t change what had happened, but the thought that her loving sister was now a murderer had been upsetting to her. But that only left her with more questions.

‘But if you aren’t my sister… Who are you? And why did you pretend to be her?’

“Isn’t that obvious? I knew you would never pass down an opportunity to help anyone. Let alone a family member. As for who I am, well you will probably figure that out soon enough. Even as stupid as you are.”

The girl began walking her body down the stairs to the hidden passageway. Inside Frisk had a feeling of dread begin to overcome her. This person who had mercilessly killed every other monster was about to fight her mother. Toriel would surely be strong enough to fight, but in her heart she knew that the friendly monster would never raise a finger to the human she called a daughter. 

‘Please don’t hurt her. You called her mom too. So she has to mean something to you. Please I beg you.’

“You are only making this harder. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you to shut up idiot.”

They turned a corner and there she was. Standing before the door contemplating it’s destruction. As if she sensed their combined presence, Toriel turned and looked at them. “So you came even here?   
I had hoped that you would not want to leave this place.” She sighed then let her shoulders drop in sadness. “I saw what you did in the ruins my child. It truly saddens me to see that you are so wracked with anger. But despite that I believe that you have the capacity for compassion and love. Won’t you stay here with me and we can start anew?”

The girl possessing her body looked to the ground. Her expression was cold and she struggled not to speak. “I am sorry mother. You were always so good to me.” 

Toriel became confused. Granted she had done so much in the short time, the girl spoke as if they had known each other much longer than the day spent in the ruins.

“Out of everything I’m going to do, this is what I will regret the most.”

“It can’t be… Is it really you? Chara?” 

Without giving her a chance to react, Frisk’s body lunged forward and dug the toy knife into Toriels chest. Several tears ran down her face and began soaking the fur of her mother. She did not have to wonder over who was shedding these tears. Every fiber of her spirit was crying out for her to live, for none of this to be real, for her to simply wake up from a twisted dream. 

“You… You really are Chara aren’t you?”

The girl remained silent this time. Knife still in her hands she stood over her the goat’s slowly dying body.

“ I never knew that you had so much hate you my darling child. I’m sorry that I failed to protect you. T...That I failed as a mother. He...He he… Maybe I should….” She never finished her words though. Frisk never heard what Toriel wanted to say. Her body turned to dust mid sentence.

The girl lingered a moment longer. Staring idly at the dust that now stained their clothing. She spoke no words. Just stood and stared at where there mother stood moments before. Frisk could not think of anything. She could not ponder why this Chara person did what she did. She was too overwhelmed with sadness. Despite no longer having a physical body, she could feel her soul curling into a ball and crying over her mother’s demise. 

Time seemed to stand still for her. Locked in her body own body without the ability to influence it. She failed to save her mother. She had failed so much. And over what? A lie? She should have known better. Sans was right. She was too determined to help others. Now look where it got her and everyone she tried to help. Her determination was useless, just like her.

Sans… He would be on the other side of the door. How she hoped he would know it wasn’t her. That he could stop Chara. But more than anything she wanted to see him smile again. He was the only person that could make a difference for her now. 

“I wouldn’t put any faith in that trashbag if I were you. He is nothing compared to me.” Chara laughed cruelly before she walked through the unguarded door to the rest of the underground. 

‘Sans.’ Frisk thought out loud to herself. ‘Please be careful. I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me one day.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this took longer than I thought. I went on vacation out of the country and did not bring my computer. It was so fun that I stayed longer than I anticipated. But now I'm back in the swing of things and can get this out hopefully at least one chapter a week. The chapter wasn't supposed to be this long but I really wanted to flesh out Frisk's confusion and her feelings of despair over the genocide that Chara is inflicting. Also this is the last time that Chara will not be identified since Frisk heard her real name and Sans was told it last chapter. 
> 
> They or them will be used to describe the shared body of Frisk and Chara but if talking about either of their thoughts or emotions it will return back to she and her. Unless that gets confusing then I'll figure out how to clarify and keep it easy to follow. Thanks for everyone that has left kudos and is reading this fic. Comment if you have suggestions or just want to talk about it and kudos if you enjoyed this chapter. See you in the next update!

**Author's Note:**

> So the point of view for this fic will primarily be from Frisk's perspective but will occasionally change to either Sans or Chara. The next chapter will likely be these events but from Sans Pov. Also, Chara is not really Frisk's sister in this au, but is playing on her memories of her real sister to get her to listen to her. It will be more described later on but I wanted to at least explain why she was going under the name Charon through this chapter. If you like this please leave a kudos or a comment to let me know what you thought. Thank you all and enjoy the game if you have yet to play it or just enjoy playing it numerous times like me.  
> I will try and get this updated at least once a week. Until next time. Have a good day!


End file.
